29-01-2025
Willie Mae's NOLA is serving up perfect fried chicken
While New Orleans awaits the reopening of the legendary Tremé restaurant Willie Mae's, we do have the next-best thing: a totally new Willie Mae's now open downtown.
Why it matters: The menu includes the restaurant's beloved fried chicken recipe.
The big picture: Willie Mae's Scotch House has been serving the city since 1957, but Hurricane Katrina forced a two-year closure that started in 2005.
Then, a fire devastated the family-owned restaurant again in 2023. Rebuilding that location is ongoing, The Times-Picayune reports.
In the meantime, the Seaton family opened Willie Mae's NOLA on Baronne Street in the modern, bright space vacated by NOLA Caye.
Between the lines: The new location isn't the first time Willie Mae's has been downtown.
The family previously ran a stand inside the Pythian Market, but that closed when the food hall shut down.
The menu has other options, but it focuses on the family's famous fried chicken.
You can get it as a platter with a quarter chicken and one or three sides, on a salad or on a chicken sandwich. Platters also come with a cornbread muffin.
What I ordered: I got the quarter chicken with three sides ($24), including cabbage, mac and cheese and sweet potato fries.
Much to my eternal dismay, the restaurant was out of fried okra that day, but the fries helped to slake my craving for them.
The chicken was perfect as ever, with the slightly-spicy batter that fries a deep, crunchy, salty golden.
